Happy 111th Birthday Philippines!

Posted on June 12th, 2009. Written by Rico.

Yes, fellow Filipinos, the Philippines is now one-hundred and eleven years old!

Notice anything different with our site? (Technograph subscribers click here to see what we’re talking about) Yes, we’ve changed our background to celebrate June 12. And that’s just one way of using technology to celebrate Philippine Independence. To recap:

1. Make Your Website More “Filipino”

Aside from temporarily changing your website and make it more Filipino-themed, you can also place the Proudly Pinoy logo. You don’t have to plaster it prominently, just make sure it’s somewhere visible. Currently the logo adorns our footer.

You don’t have to own your website to do this; social-networking sites like Multiply and Friendster allow a certain degree customization. There’s no reason why you can’t change the background of your profile page.

2. Patronize Filipino Online Services

If you’re an online publisher (like a blogger), consider signing up for locally-bred advertising services like Blog Bank. Hungry? You might want to check out Munch Punch. Need a web design? Visit We Do Markup and Sheero Media, two web design services by Filipinos. You can also support Rico Zuñiga’s efforts to port his relatively successful Tongits app to the iPhone. Visit his site and leave him some words of encouragement!

3. Recommend Filipino Online Services

The sites I’ve just mentioned are definitely the tip of the Iceberg. Usually, when you encounter a really useful website you recommend it to other people (that’s how Lakbayan became famous). The same applies to locally-based websites, even more so; if you encounter a useful website by Filipinos for Filipinos, make an effort to tell everyone you know about it. Just make sure you leave an opinion below letting us know about it too!

And of course, you can always recommend this very website to other Filipinos, especially since it covers Technology in the Philippines! (*cough cough*)

4. Let the Whole World Know About Our Awesomeness

Tell other Filipinos and foreigners about how people around the world rely on us. US Auto Parts Inc., perhaps the largest retailer of auto parts online, outsources a significant part of its operations to the Philippines. Despite some setbacks, the Texas Instruments operation in Baguio remains strong. And so does Accenture’s local operations. Share that a significant number of seo.ph members do SEM work for people around the world.

5. Tell the Whole World About the Philippines—The Good Part

Filipinos reportedly love to blog, and this I ask: how many share the beautiful things they’ve experienced here? Inept politicians and corruption run amok, but that shouldn’t diminish the beauty of our beaches, how Filipinos manage well in the worst conditions, and of course, the stereotypically beautiful Filipina!

Share the food you’ve eaten, the places you’ve been to, and the people you’ve met. There’s a lot going for the Philippines, and you should make sure the rest of the world knows why. A lot easier when you consider how easy it is to set up and maintain a blog.

How Do You Use Technology to Celebrate the Philippines?

Feel free to share your tech-oriented way of celebrating Philippine Independence by leaving an opinion below.

(Image: The winning entry to the 2008 Philippine Flag Photo Contest, by Jimmy Hilario)